Medical blunders cover up scandal

Exclusive: A major row broke out today over the Government's decision to hide figures which reveal the true scale of medical errors in Britain's hospitals.

The Evening Standard has learned that the first proper study of NHS errors reveals that there were more than 20,000 "adverse incidents" or "near misses" in 28 different trusts over a three-month period.

The figures were due to be published at a major news conference in London tomorrow. But Health Secretary Alan Milburn, concerned at how the public would react to the news, has banned their publication.

If the statistics were extrapolated to cover all 450 trusts in the NHS, that would mean more than a million errors and accidents in hospitals every year - a much higher number than forecast.

The pilot study of 28 trusts shows some of the incidents are relatively minor, such as a patient tripping, a scald, or even a bandage improperly applied. But a proportion of these were classified as "catastrophic", where the error resulted in the death of a patient. More than 300 incidents involving mistakes in childbirth were also reported.

The most serious errors are now the subject of in-depth inquiries at the hospitals concerned. The incidents came to light because, for the first time, health service staff were encouraged to report them confidentially to a central database, as part of the study by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), which is pioneering a nationwide reporting system for the Government.

The analysis of such figures is crucial to health service managers understanding how and why mistakes occur.

A month ago, the Evening Standard was told by Sue Williams, head of the NPSA, that the figures from the study would definitely be published. But Health Secretary Alan Milburn decided last week he will not allow the figures to be put in the public domain.

A well placed source said: ?There was just too much fear around about the public alarm they would cause.

?It would have left Alan [Milburn] facing some hard questions, such as how many deaths had resulted from errors, and whether families had been fully informed about any adverse incidents. Politically, the whole area is being seen as a minefield.? A spokesman for the NPSA, asked about tomorrow?s press conference, confirmed the study figures will not now be published.

She said: ?We will be talking about the pilot study evaluation, but we can?t talk about the figures from the study, because they were only taken from 28 trusts, and it wouldn?t be meaningful.?

Under the NPSA?s system, each mistake or accident is graded as either minor, major or catastrophic. If sufficiently serious, it is investigated by the hospital. If a pattern of errors emerges, the NHS can take swift action to deal with the problem.

It is understood the pilot study has already revealed dangers with a particular drug in common usage. Mike Stone, chief executive of the Patients? Association, said: ?This information should be put into the public domain without delay. This is not about causing panic to patients, it is about sharing information which will help the health service to improve.?